


The Last Vampire of Carinthia

by CheapQueenPrincess



Category: K-pop, 소녀시대 | Girls' Generation | SNSD
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Aristocracy, Dark Past, F/F, Femslash, Human/Vampire Relationship, Hunted Vampires, Inspired by Carmilla, Lesbian Vampires, Past Relationship(s), Pretentious, Tragic Romance, Vampire Bites, Vampire Family, Vampire Hunters, Vampire Turning, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:16:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23532928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheapQueenPrincess/pseuds/CheapQueenPrincess
Summary: When Tiffany finds herself caught in a rainstorm and seeks out a lonely manor house as her only source of shelter, she has no idea of the mystery (and the danger) that she is only just beginning to wrap herself into. But will her story with the mysterious manor owner end in love, or something much more gruesome?
Relationships: Hwang Miyoung | Tiffany/Kim Taeyeon, Jung Sooyeon | Jessica/Kim Taeyeon, Jung Sooyeon | Jessica/Kwon Yuri
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. Caught In A Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Just one note to add here. So yes, although all the main characters are indeed Korean, this story is still gong to be set in 19th century Austria, and so ignorance to that little inaccuracy would be greatly appreciated :D

_Carinthia, Austria, 1832_

Tiffany shielded her eyes against the rain as she squinted into the darkness, trying to make out the path ahead. It had been growing steadily darker as time passed, and much to her dismay, for seemingly no matter how far or how fast she walked, she had gotten no closer to anything even remotely resembling a possible destination.

The rain had started perhaps as little as five minutes ago, but already it had grown in strength to become near unbearable in nature pummelling against her back as the wind whipped at her face, a biting cold which made it feel as if tiny knives were being slashed across her cheeks. And already her hands were frozen, even when tucked under her travelling cloak, which was doing remarkably little in the way of shielding her from the storm.

And all things considered, this sudden storm was perhaps the most unfortunate situation imaginable for her, as tonight was the very night that she had found herself lost, and with no conceivable direction in which to head to.

Glancing to her left, she could just about make out the shadowed outlines of trees, a forest perhaps? And as tempting as the idea of any sort of shelter was to her right now, she had heard stories of the wild animals that stalked the forests of the mountains states. And personally, she'd take freezing to death over being mauled by some beast of nature.

Looking ahead, all she could make out was the ever-growing peaks of the mountains, and the subsequent envisioning of the painfully long journey that lay ahead of her, should she choose to continue on.

And it was with this thought in mind, that her attention was finally drawn to something a little way off to her right, a small light which she thought might possibly be coming from a lantern. She began shuffling closer, hoping to make out the source of the light, and eventually what came into view was a tall large building, some sort of manor house by the look of it.

Obscured as her view was by the rain, she was able to make out the distinctly Gothic architecture of the manor house, the tall, arching steeples of the roof, the angular, Cathedral-like windows, and the dark polished wooden struts of the main entrance. Evidently, this was not the home of someone of regular fare, and even the very notion of her knocking on such a door at a time like this, made her feel almost nauseous.

Having realised however, from the way that she was feeling, that she was perhaps only minutes away from fainting and freezing to death outside, she clenched her fists tight by her sides and began the slow trudge up the hillside to the manor house. Although despite the short length of the journey, it seemed to take an age, as each step was heavy, her very feet hard to lift, dragged down by the cold that was by now, set deep into her bones. And as such, it took all her resolve not to collapse immediately onto the doorstep when she did finally get there.

The door itself was just as intimidating as she had imagined it might be, a great polished oak affair, with black iron overlays, the most prominent of which was an almighty door knocker, formed in the shape of a lion. With shaky hands, she grasped hold of the ring in the lions mouth, brought it up and then knocked, as hard as could manage.

***

Taeyeon opened her eyes, the distant sound of knocking awaking her, although if she were to be technical about it, she hadn't actually been asleep. It had been a long time since she had heard a sound like that, something so evidently caused by a human being, and the prospect of this intrigued Taeyeon, such was her degree of boredom, that she couldn't resist answering such a call.

Raising herself up from the bed, she made her way slowly down to the main entrance hall, pulling her jacket down from the coat-stand and pulling it on as she went. The person outside had knocked twice more by the time she made it down to the front door, and the corner of Taeyeon's mouth curled up into a slight grin of amusement. Such a person must be quite adamant to make her acquaintance, or else, must not know of the rumours and secrets that this house, and indeed herself, did hold.

Reaching a hand forward, she pulled the latch back and opened the door, letting a chill of icy wind into the house, although she didn't really feel it. And sitting on the front step, looking about as near to death as one could imagine someone to look, was a young woman. She was clothed only in a simple dress and a travelling cloak, that seemed to Taeyeon to be doing a rather pathetic job, as the woman was soaked to the skin, her slick dark hair sticking to her face, that was almost as pale as her own.

"Yes?" she asked.

Taeyeon raised an eyebrow, as the young woman looked up at her with something not unlike desperation, and began to practically plead with her.

"Please um-" She hesitated for a second. "Miss. You wouldn't happen to be generous enough to allow me into your home for just a moment?"

Taeyeon barely hesitated in her granting of such a request, it having been so long since she had experienced any sort of human company, and she bowed her head as a yes, stepping back to allow the young woman inside. Thanking her profusely, the young woman hurried past her and Taeyeon closed the door behind her.

"You look cold." Taeyeon remarked, rather matter-of-factly, as the young woman visibly shivered under her drenched travelling cloak.

"Indeed. The weather tonight is rather... unforgiving."

"Then please, allow me to take your cloak." Taeyeon said, holding out her hand.

"Your servants are asleep?" the woman inquired, gladly unfastening the sodden cloak from around her neck and handing it over to Taeyeon.

Taeyeon paused for a moment, her dark eyes considering her guest carefully.

"No, I am... temporarily without service."

"Oh. I see."

"It is not as much of a bother as you might think." Taeyeon continued, following through with hanging the cloak up on the rack by the front door. "After all, it is only me here."

"You must get lonely."

Taeyeon shrugged.

"I've found the company of oneself is often satisfactory enough."

A short silence proceeded this, both of them perhaps becoming suddenly aware at the unconventional, and socially, rather embarrassing nature of their encounter. For it was rather unthinkable for someone to show up on one's doorstep at the dead of night, and beg for housing like a common street rat, even be it so that she wasn't one. Taeyeon herself noticed that the young woman was avoiding eye contact, most likely for precisely this reason, and so attempted quickly to resolve things.

"Oh but please, you must think me quite ill-mannered." she continued, an attempt to dissuade the awkwardness, as she held out her hand to her young guest. She noticed that she had forgotten her gloves, but she supposed it wouldn't matter so much, not in this cold weather. 

"Miss Taeyeon Anniksvorten, at your service."

The young woman took her hand and shook it courteously. 

"And you?" Taeyeon asked, withdrawing her hand as soon as she was able to without seeming rude, so as to minimise their skin on skin contact.

"Miss Tiffany Hildebrandt." 

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Hildebrandt. Now please, allow me to make you up a fire. You appear quite frozen."

"All the better that you happened to be awake to allow me entrance." Tiffany replied, causing Taeyeon to smile thoughtfully at her.

"Indeed..." she mused, leading Tiffany out from the entrance hall and into the drawing room.

Inside, a large fireplace, edged with black marble, dominated the far wall with it's central position in the room. The room as a whole was very large, with a tall ceiling and lots of hand-carved furniture, and there was a similar dark style to everything, although admittedly, it was hard to distinguish any colour in anything, as the room was almost pitch black, the curtains drawn to hide any moonlight which might have made it's way in. 

Taeyeon herself however, seemed able to manoeuvre about the room with ease, despite the lack of visibility, and was soon crouched by the fireplace, her jacket trailing slightly on the floor as she knelt beside the hearth. Tiffany watched her anxiously, feeling fainter by the moment, as she set the first pieces of kindling alight and then slowly began adding bigger logs from the basket beside the fireplace.

Now that the fire was going, Tiffany was able to observe Taeyeon properly for the first time, albeit in the flickering half-light of small orange flames. She was most definitely a woman yes, what with her small stature, feminine features and most obviously, her long dark hair, tied back into a loose ponytail. But Tiffany noticed, as she had done partially in the doorway to Taeyeon's house, that despite this, she was dressed in most decidedly masculine clothing.

First were the trousers, close fitted around the legs and fixed high up on the waist by two buttons, as was the common style. Then the white shirt, absent as it was of it's necktie, visible only due to her jacket having not been buttoned up, that was loose and with billowing sleeves tied close at the wrist. And then there was the jacket itself, tailored and embroidered in a distinctly aristocratic style, extending below the waist slightly as a sort of tailcoat. And of course, there were the boots, ankle high and sturdy, and something which women simply did not wear.

However, Tiffany mused, Taeyeon did, at her own confession, live alone, and what with her so obviously being of high and wealthy society, she imagined that Taeyeon felt she could dress how she liked, without anybody there to judge it's appropriateness.

"Why, Miss Hildebrandt-"

Taeyeon's soft, steady voice, edged with concern, brought Tiffany out of her thoughts to see that she had finally straightened up, the fire behind her now at full strength.

"Are you quite well?" Taeyeon inquired, frowning. "You seem... faint."

Tiffany shook her head, although her hand was gripping tightly to the frame of a nearby chair.

"No I'm... I'm..."

Although Tiffany never did quite manage to articulate what she, in fact, was, for the world had become suddenly uneven under her feet, and within seconds she was sinking down into the hazy, inky blackness of unconsciousness.

***

Taeyeon had caught Tiffany with ease, sensing before it happened that she was going to faint, which she supposed was hardly surprising. For she knew that the manor house was situated miles away from anywhere that could be called inhabited, as so for Tiffany to end up here, must've been the end result of a long, miserable trek through this evening's storm.

Tucking one arm under her shoulders and the other under her legs, Taeyeon shifted Tiffany from her front onto her back, before lifting her up and setting about carrying her upstairs, leaving the fire still flickering behind them. Having no need of it herself, she'd put it out once she had satisfied herself that her young guest was back to a state of reasonable health and thus, could be safely left alone to sleep.

The manor house itself had a great many bedrooms, a necessity of times since gone, spread out among the upper floors, although Taeyeon chose the one closest to her own, seeing no need to room Tiffany further away, seeming as she would not know the difference herself. It was a comfortable room, large she supposed, in comparison to that of others, but by no means garishly so. The covers and hangings were both of a dull gold colour, which matched the beige coloured walls and contrasted with the dark oak flooring.

Taking care to support her and not cause her any accidental injury, Taeyeon pulled back the covers and gently laid Tiffany down onto the bed, tucking the covers back round her to keep her warm and then stepping back to observe her. She appeared not to be in any imminent danger, for she was breathing as normal, and Taeyeon could faintly hear her steady heartbeat, as she was now close enough to do so.

Unconscious as she was however, Taeyeon couldn't quite resist such an opportunity to get even closer to her, and so crouched down beside the bed, reaching out a hand to gently push her still damp hair away from her face, slowly revealing more and more of her pale neck. Taeyeon's jaw twitched slightly, her fingers frozen in place, her eyes fixed on the very slight undulation of Tiffany's pulse point. And for a split second, something deep within Taeyeon almost snapped, motivated by the desperation of going so long without.

But no sooner had it arisen, had Taeyeon clamped down viciously upon her urges, not allowing herself to fall prey to animalistic instinct and betray the trust of this young woman. Removing her hand quickly from her neck, she straightened up and left the room immediately, not trusting herself to be alone with the unconscious girl for a single second longer.

***

Not a minute or so after Taeyeon had left the room however, Tiffany did in fact, drift back into consciousness, albeit for only a few seconds. For the bed was so warm and comfortable, and her mind still so clouded and dizzy, that she found it quite impossible to stay awake any longer. But she did manage to form one thought, before she dropped back into unconsciousness, and it was a thought of wonder, of what had become of her gracious host, and why she was no longer in the room with her.

When she next awoke, she could tell it was morning by the slight filtering of sunlight through the gaps in the drawn curtains, and by the greatly noticeable absence of the storm outside, for she could no longer hear even a remnant of the wind or rain. Drowsy as she was, she allowed herself to doze for an indeterminable amount of time, not yet summoning the effort to question her new and unfamiliar surroundings.

But it wasn't long before her rest was disturbed, as eventually the door to the bedroom opened and Taeyeon stepped cautiously inside, her eyes immediately moving to rove over Tiffany's face, as if looking for any sign of illness or injury. She was dressed more casually, having removed her jacket and let her hair down, the dark tresses starkly beautiful against the white of her shirt, and Tiffany felt more at ease because of it.

"You're awake I see." she remarked first of all. "And unharmed I hope?"

Tiffany gave a slight nod, shuffling herself up into a more upright sitting position.

"I believe so."

Nodding along herself, as if attempting to provide her own assurance as to Tiffany's well-being, Taeyeon moved over to the bed and crouched down beside it. And Tiffany found herself suddenly quite taken by Taeyeon's gaze, her dark eyes seeming to draw her in, and making it near impossible for her to look away.

"I first extend my greatest apologies for having made contact with you without your consent, but I thought it best to make you as comfortable as possible." Taeyeon started, being the first to break their intense eye contact.

Tiffany gave a small shake of her head and smiled at Taeyeon.

"Apologies are not necessary. For in fact, I can only apologise myself for my improper conduct."

One corner of Taeyeon's mouth turned upwards, not technically a smile, but most certainly it was an expression of amusement.

"I would hardly call fainting improper conduct, Miss Hildebrandt. After all, it can hardly be argued that you had control over yourself."

"I suppose it is most true, that I felt not quite myself last night."

"Well speaking of, it would be remiss of me not to ask how you are feeling now."

"Much better, I can gladly profess."

"I feel obligated to mention, Miss Hildebrandt, that your presence in my house is of no strain nor bother to me. Quite the opposite, your company is greatly welcomed. For I have allowed myself to fall into the habits of isolation for far too long. Indeed, I have found that the benefits of being alone, extend only so far, for only so long."

"Well I am glad to hear it."

"I suppose, my intention in telling you this, is that you need not ever feel that your welcome here is overstayed. You may stay for as long as is needed, or that you so desire."

"That too is a welcome assurance to be made aware of. Many such people, in kind of yourself, would not exhibit such generosity. Especially, if I may say it, to someone who is most decidedly a complete a stranger to you."

"I do not believe in strangers Miss Hildebrandt." Taeyeon replied, her eyes taking on a warm, humorous glint. "Only friends you have yet to make acquaintance of."

"I must say, that is an admirably pleasant way of looking at the world, Miss Anniksvorten."

"Please. You may call me Taeyeon when in my own house."

"And I will do so, if I may request the same pleasure of removing such formalities."

"But of course."

There was a small pause, during which Taeyeon flexed her arms a little nervously, bobbing up and down from her crouched position, which seemed to Tiffany to be almost an invitation to ask her what was wrong.

"If I may ask, did you come to inquire after something?"

"Ah, well. I was perhaps wondering if you were strong enough this morning to join me for breakfast?"

Tiffany raised her eyebrows slightly and looked down at her dress, that was crumpled and messy from having dried unevenly, and from then having been slept in.

"You don't think that perhaps, I am a little under-dressed?"

Taeyeon gave a minimal sort of shrug.

"Unless you yourself feel unable to present yourself as you are, I see no problem in it. After all, it is just us here, and it is not as if I am in my finery either."

Tiffany smiled a little sheepishly.

"Well I can only imagine what classes as finery in your book."

Taeyeon gaze flicked back up to lock onto Tiffany's, and once again Tiffany felt that sudden surge in her chest, that tugging sensation which Taeyeon's eyes seemed somehow to bring on in her, drawing her in like dark, sensuous whirlpools. But then, once again, Taeyeon broke this connection with another innocuous comment. 

"May I then be graced with your attendance at my breakfast table this fine morning?"

Tiffany smiled, trying her best to hide the fact that Taeyeon's strong gaze had affected her far more than she would ever admit, and held out her hand to her.

"Indeed you may."

Taeyeon nodded and straightened back up, helping Tiffany out of the bed before leaving the room, in order to give her time to get herself in order. In doing this, Tiffany tried her best to smooth out as many of the creases and wrinkles in her dress as she could manage, and then turned to the mirror above the dresser, to at least attempt to fix her hair and perhaps look at least a fraction as good as Taeyeon looked.

But even if Taeyeon did think unfavourably of her appearance, which Tiffany strongly doubted that she did, she didn't show it, and the two of them walked fairly companionably down the stairs towards the dining hall, Taeyeon pointing out various things here and there, and talking about them as they went.

"Do you usually have breakfast at this time?" Tiffany inquired, as they passed by a tall grandfather clock at the end of the hall, which told her that it was just past eight.

Glancing at Taeyeon, she saw for the first time, a hint of sheepish awkwardness in her expression, which made her curious to know what had caused such a change in Taeyeon's previously courteous yet steely demeanour. 

"Well, I have been rather hesitant to admit to you, that in the absence of service, I have not paid much mind nor care to mealtimes. It is... an unfortunate habit of mine."

"I suppose it would only be natural to lose one's sense of organisation, if one did not live amongst the structured company of others."

"You are too generous in your excuse of my behaviour."

"Not at all. After all, it would be equally unfair not to give people the benefit of the doubt concerning their flaws, and it would be to be as naive to suggest that these same people had no flaws at all."

"That is a most interesting way to phrase things, but one which I agree with most entirely. It does well to remind oneself that nobody is without faults."

By this point, they had reached the ground floor of the manor, and their conversation tailed off slightly as Taeyeon led her over to a large set of double doors, in polished dark oak, which presumably led into the dining hall.

"I rather preemptively guessed that you would accept my invitation, so I have already taken the liberty of setting out breakfast." Taeyeon told her, as she reached for the handle and pushed open the left-hand door.

The dining hall was large, larger than the drawing room had been and almost comically so for the amount of people that it must entertain daily, namely it's singular occupant. The table itself stretched out to a space encompassing of eight chairs either side, with another two at either end, and Tiffany struggled to imagine so many people sitting down to dinner all at once, for Taeyeon's house already to her, just seemed like a place made for silence and solitude.

Set out on the end of the table nearest the door, was breakfast, a modest array of breads beside small pots of butter and jam, several plates of carefully sliced meats, and what Tiffany could only assume to be a server full of coffee, standing next to two mugs.

"Please, have a seat."

Tiffany did so, taking the seat on one side of the table end, and Taeyeon, rather than take the head of the table, as she might've had she had any family or extended numbers of guests to be seated with, sat opposite her, a gesture of companionship, and an insinuation that their status in this house was equal.

"I can only apologise for the rather lacking breakfast supplies. For as I said, it is not often I have guests to share it with."

"Not at all. Such should be enough for anyone."

Taeyeon shot her that same sort of half-smile, as she poured both of them coffee and then watched Tiffany carefully, her thumbs rubbing small, circular patterns around the mug in her hands.

"So. I didn't really have the opportunity to ask you before, but may I ask, what was it that brought you to my house in such dire circumstances last night? Though only if you are willing to divulge, of course. I understand that you may need to employ discretion."

"Not at all, for the purpose of my journey to these parts is far from secretive, nor be it all that urgent. You see, I travelled here from Styria, with the intention of meeting with the Countess von Khevenhüller. While unlikely that I would be able to gain significant disclosure from such an affluent family, it was my hope that such a meeting would be of help for the book I am writing."

Taeyeon's right eyebrow arched up ever so sightly, suggestive of slight surprise, although it was clear that she did not think unkindly of Tiffany for this.

"You are clearly an educated, strong-minded woman." she remarked, a small smile on her face. "The likes of such I wish there were more of in this fair state. Too many women I find, lend themselves too early to the servitude of the husband. I of course, do not look unkindly upon these women, for it is a choice of their own nevertheless. However, it does make me wonder if it is often the best use of their talents."

Tiffany lent back in her seat slightly, regarding Taeyeon in a slightly new light by her comment.

"You speak like a true reformer. I must say, I did not expect such sentiments from a member of the gentry."

"I would've hoped from my garb and demeanour, that you would have already ascertained the fact that my social leanings are far from conservative."

"Are you involved in politics at all?"

"Rarely myself. But I make sure to keep abreast of goings on. It does well for someone, particularly I suppose of my position, to know well of the politics of their country. Which brings me to my next point. For I thought it pertinent to say, you mentioned your hopes to meet with the Countess von Khevenhüller?"

Tiffany nodded.

"Indeed."

"Well then, it brings me no pleasure to inform you that both the Countess and her husband her currently away in Vienna. Some business in league with the King, I confess I know not exactly what. Though I am surprised you were not aware of this."

"That is indeed, most unfortunate. Although I see fit to remind you that I set out from Styria some weeks ago, and reliable news is often hard to come by, even in this age of advancement."

Taeyeon inclined her head forwards slightly.

"Oh course, forgive me. I did not mean to lay discredit to your profession."

"No offence was taken, I can assure."

A slight pause ensued, in which Taeyeon sipped her coffee, and Tiffany took a bite of a slice of spiced bread, a delicacy she had not often had the chance to sample in recent months.

"Still." Taeyeon soon continued, re-garnering her attention. "You have adequately explained the purpose of your journey, to which I am grateful for my inclusion in the knowledge of, but I am still none the wiser as to your untimely appearance upon my doorstep."

"Ah, well, as I am sure you are aware, the von Khevenhüller estate, although impressive in nature, is not altogether easy to locate, nor to travel to. And it was during my journey up to the mountains of this county, that I find myself the receiver of two most unfortunate occurrences. One, to be perfectly candid, was partially fault of my own, for it came to be that I found myself quite lost amongst these mountains. Secondly, as you are also aware of, during my disorientation, I then found myself caught in such a storm, that it sent my stumbling for shelter wherever I could find it, which then just so happened to be your doorstep."

Taeyeon smiled properly now, perhaps more than a little amused as to the incredibly unfortunate way that Tiffany had found herself a guest in her house.

"That is indeed, a more than adequate account, to which I had inquired from you. To have such trusting and talkative company, is a blessing I had not realised I was missing quite so heavily."

"If that be so, would I be amiss to ask a few questions myself?"

Taeyeon shook her head.

"Why of course not. For I should think that you would have amassed a great many questions already about my good self, which I shall be happy to oblige any answers for."

"Well I must say, what I am most curious about is how you came to be in such a house alone. For seeing a woman as young as yourself, I should say, if you yourself were looking from the outside, I am sure you too would find it strange that there is no-one else here with you."

"That is indeed, a most studious observation, and one deserving of an equally studious answer."

Taeyeon lent back in her seat, a thoughtful look crossing her face, as if deciding how best to reply to Tiffany's inquiry.

"The house itself has been part of the Anniksvorten family for several generations, going back in excess of a century I believe. I am not quite sure of it's history prior to our family's acquisition, but from it's style of architecture, it's possible that it was originally some form of chapel, although one which was soon modified for a more domestic purpose."

"I can well believe it." Tiffany remarked. "For even as I was approaching your fine abode last night, I could almost have mistaken it for a Cathedral."

Taeyeon looked intrigued and suitably amused by this notion, as if the very idea that her home was once a place of Godliness, was a subject of humour to her.

"Our original wealth was self-acquired." she eventually continued, with Tiffany noticing that she had taken on a more relaxed position to tell this story. "It was built up mainly from industry and business, and not through royal appointing, so we found ourselves being the new money in an old money world, something which did not necessarily curry much favour with those higher up in the gentry. And as of such, we were perhaps not as vocal in our dealings and opinions, as others of our position often strived to be."

Tiffany was pleasantly surprised by this revelation, having of thought for sure that Taeyeon would be as old money as old money could be. But she supposed it did make sense, what with the raw nature of progressiveness and liberal thinking that surrounded Taeyeon like an aura.

"Despite this however, I would say that we were a closer-knit family than any of the others more rooted in tradition and connections. For we enjoyed an extraordinarily privileged position of being both able to express our liberal viewpoint on life, and yet also be influential enough not to garner scorn and ruin from just such opinions."

Taeyeon paused for a moment after this, as if collecting together her thoughts, and when she continued, her tone was rather more muted than it had been previously.

"However, it seems as if our good fortunes were not to last. There was an outbreak of disease in the family, typhoid fever, an extension from a neighbouring village. And we were pretty much bedridden for weeks, myself included. And quite unfortunately for me to recall, none of my family survived it. I myself, only fourteen at the time, once recovered, was sent to live with an associate of my late father's, although I later returned at sixteen to stake my claim to the family house and fortune."

"I'm sorry." Tiffany mumbled, looking away from Taeyeon. "That must've been awful for you."

Taeyeon didn't directly address Tiffany with her reply, and made no effort to pick up her gaze, indirectly creating a distance between the two of them which was unexpected and rather unpleasant to both involved.

"It is a painful yet timely reminder that death can take quickly, and it can take anyone. It does well to remember that, in a world in which we sometimes act immortal. Though I admit, the loneliness was at first, a difficult burden to bear."

"Did you not consider marrying, once you were of age?" Tiffany asked, a sudden question that she later would think had been rather out of turn.

"I must confess, though convenient it may of been, no suitable suitor ever presented themselves during that time, nor did I actively seek one. And I suppose even now, it seems it would be only a marriage of convenience for me, and since I have security and wealth already, what convenience I ask myself, would marriage bring me?"

"You've never considered marriage for love then?"

Taeyeon visibly paused, a strange sort of look crossing her face, and a flash of great pain marring her eyes for just a second.

"I... wouldn't say that, no. But I suppose we can say that such a marriage basis... well, it didn't work out for the better."

A strong pause proceeded this, with an awkwardness to it far worse than any that had come in the slight pauses in their conversations previously, and Tiffany found herself taking a hasty sip of her coffee, completely avoiding eye contact with Taeyeon. Although she needn't have bothered, as Taeyeon herself had taken to staring down at the table, her hand gripping the handle of her mug so hard, it was a wonder she didn't snap it off. But eventually, Taeyeon seemed to regain her composure, reasserting herself with a sharp shake of her head, and she fixed Tiffany with a smile, through which Tiffany could just make out her teeth. And something about the smile unnerved her, although she couldn't quite discern exactly what.

"Please, do eat." Taeyeon said, gesturing towards the plates in-between them. "After all, we would not want anymore fainting now, would we?"

And for the first time since having first met Taeyeon, Tiffany was filled with a sudden sense of unease about her, and she found herself wishing more than anything that she had never mentioned the question of Taeyeon's family at all.


	2. Confessions Of Apology

They finished breakfast in silence, Taeyeon standing up rather abruptly in the first appropriate moment she found to do so, and casting an awkward sort of half-glance back at Tiffany.

"Um, your dress..." she started, being uncharacteristically inarticulate in her words. "My old maidservant, she left some clothes behind. She had to leave quite... unexpectedly, you see. You could try some of them on, see if they fit."

Tiffany, not wanting to appear rude, and gracious enough to Taeyeon for any sort of excuse to leave behind the horrible atmosphere of the dining room, nodded, and got up from her seat to follow Taeyeon back into the main corridor. They climbed the staircase in silence, resolutely avoiding eye contact with each other, which was made easier by the fact that Tiffany was lagging slightly behind Taeyeon, still weak as an after effect from her collapse of last night.

Taeyeon, at least, noticed this, and waited at the top of the stairs for her to catch up, before setting off at the same brusque pace down the corridor. The room she led them to, was neither her own, nor the one she had put Tiffany into, but rather another one, a little further down and nearer the end of the landing. The door into the room was of exactly the same make and colour, that of shined dark oak, but the inside could not have looked more different from Tiffany's golden room.

First off, the whole room had a much darker mood, with rich red and brown tones covering every surface, and this was only made worse by the fact that the curtains were still closed. Noticing this, Taeyeon strode across to the window and pulled them back although, Tiffany noticed, she almost seemed to flinch slightly as the light hit her, and she withdrew quickly back into the more shadowed areas of the room.

She then turned back to Tiffany, looking as if she wanted to say something to her. But then she just shook her head, a small frown on her face, and moved straight past her, exiting the room and leaving her completely alone once more. 

Frowning slightly at Taeyeon's sudden cold and rather ungentlemanly demeanour (for ungentlemanly seemed to her to be the right turn of phrase for someone like Taeyeon), Tiffany made for the wardrobe, remembering her host's comment about the dresses. She had mentioned her to be a maidservant of some sort, although, upon opening the wardrobe and looking inside, such dresses seemed not to be fit for someone of a mere servant's status. There were simple dresses indeed, alongside the more elaborate ballgown fare, but even these were made of richer colours and fabrics, and were made up rather more professionally, than the dresses of a mere maidservant would ever have been. 

And yet, considering the nature of Taeyeon, that she had only had a few short minutes over these past two days to really become accustomed to, this seemed oddly in character. For Taeyeon seemed like exactly the sort of aristocrat who would so willingly provide such lavish lodgings and clothing for even just a maidservant. And this, contrary to her initial impressions of unease at the contents of the wardrobe, only made her ever more certain that Taeyeon's character was one of considerable generosity, albeit that she was acting out of turn as of now.

She eventually decided upon a dress that was rather to her liking, the skirt of which was made up of a deep plum coloured purple, and the bodice a more muted navy, with a crimson trim around the neckline. It was more traditionally Austrian than Taeyeon's clothing had been, a style of which Tiffany had reckoned to be distinctly British or French in origin, although remarking upon this in her mind, she conceded that the traditional Austrian male attire was not something which made the wearer look particularly sophisticated, nor aristocratic. 

Moving away from the wardrobe, she sat down at the dressing table, with it's large Venetian mirror attached to a frame across the back, and set about searching for a hairbrush in amongst the drawers, of which she found a silver-backed one in the furthest right drawer. It irritated her, somewhat humorously, that Taeyeon, as she remembered, seemed not recently to have even entertained the idea of a comb, and yet her hair had fell in effortless dark waves about her shoulders, almost inviting Tiffany to the desire of wanting to run her hands through it. She herself, had not the same such good fortune, and knew that in order to look even the least bit presentable, careful care and attention had to be given to her unruly brown locks.

It became apparent in her mind however, some fifteen minutes later, that she was most evidently avoiding leaving the bedroom, and having then to face Taeyeon, as she had long since finished with her hair and had been stalling for time for rather too long.

Not quite sure what to do with herself, and feeling that it would be extraordinarily out of the question for her to just leave, she eventually arrived upon the decision that she would have to go and find Taeyeon, and try to smooth over the awkwardness of that morning's conversation in whatever way she could.

She stood up and made for the door, assured enough in the appropriateness of her appearance that she didn't take a last glance back at the mirror, and opened it, stepping out into the hall and glancing first to the left and then to the right. Taeyeon, rather unsurprisingly, was nowhere in sight, which Tiffany was initially glad of, although a little annoyed thereafter, as it then meant that she had to go searching for her, a task that was made all the more daunting by the fact that she was still greatly unfamiliar with the layout of the manor house.

The first room she checked was another bedroom, this one considerably more bare and evidently un-lived in than either of the two she had seen thus far, as there was no furniture to speak of, and the bed covers had been stripped back to the bare minimum. A prickle of unease had run up the back of Tiffany's neck as she looked round this room, and she found it no displeasure to hastily close the door once more, resigning herself to the promise to never look inside again.

The next room appeared to be some sort of study, a desk taking up the space underneath the window on the far wall, and with little else to speak of in the small space. This room, although less anxiety inducing than the last, also held within it a distinct lackingness, as if it's primary occupant was now no longer here to use it. For one, there were no papers or writing materials of any sort on the desk, although there was a single candle holder, albeit absent of any candle within it.

But, it was with a considerable degree of luck, in Tiffany's opinion, for there were seemingly innumerable rooms within the manor house that Taeyeon could've been in, that it was the third room that she checked that was the one she found her host within.

The room itself was most evidently a library, with rows and rows of tall towering bookshelves, filled with an uncountable number of books. Most were similar in size and colour, big dusty books, most likely historical or otherwise intellectual texts, but occasionally there would be a break in the monotonous line up. A smaller book perhaps, or a shabbier one, or maybe one with a spine in a starkly bright colour, or with intricate patterns of gold decoration. Had she of been alone, Tiffany fancied that she would've spent a moment browsing through these, old books having always been something of an interest to her. But as things stood right now, she was far from being alone.

Taeyeon was standing over by the big, wall-encompassing window, staring out at the view outside but, Tiffany couldn't help but notice, was still resigning herself to the shadows cast by the drawn back curtains. In that same irritating way that she had noticed earlier, she herself had not made any efforts to improve her appearance, still being dressed in only that loose white shirt, and with her hair still down around her shoulders, so messy and yet still so perfect also.

As she continued to watch Taeyeon, too afraid as of yet to interrupt her, she came to notice that she was holding something in her hand, some sort of small metal object, and Tiffany couldn't even begin to guess what it was, until Taeyeon raised it to her mouth to drink, at which point she ascertained that it was most likely some sort of hip flask.

Tiffany began chewing her lip a little guiltily, not necessarily surprised by the fact that Taeyeon had a hip flask upon her person, but rather by the fact that it had probably been her over-questioning that had driven Taeyeon to today's secret drinking. And in turn, this made her wonder if this drinking of Taeyeon's was a regular thing, a bad habit long left unchecked due to her isolation.

But somehow, the impression that she had first built up of Taeyeon from their initial encounters, just did not fit in with this image of her. For the courteous and ever regarding nature of this woman, who had so generously invited her into her home, no questions asked, could surely not match up with that of depressive alcoholic, drinking herself to misery everyday. Although, she supposed, if anything would drive someone to such a state, the death of their entire family would likely have done the job better than anything.

She winced slightly as the effort she had been exerting on biting down on her lip, finally broke through the skin, causing an ever so slight and barely noticeable cut on her bottom lip. But almost on the dime of her having done so, did Taeyeon suddenly turn and fix her gaze quite intensely onto her, which had her so taken aback by it's immediacy, that she found herself taking quite a literal step backwards. 

Taeyeon looked considerably alarmed by this, as she curbed her intense gaze on the instant, and Tiffany almost fancied that she could see Taeyeon scolding herself silently, in the way that she turned her head slightly down and in towards herself. Tucking the small hip-flask away in her trouser pocket, Taeyeon cautiously stepped closer to her, and stopped when they were about two metres apart.

"You found a dress then?" she eventually said, the first to break the heavy silence.

Tiffany herself merely nodded in answer.

"Indeed."

Taeyeon nodded back as a sort of acknowledgement of this, and Tiffany found herself almost smiling at the way she rocked back and forth awkwardly on her heels, a boyish sort of gesture. Looking at her now, she certainly didn't seem drunk, not even in the slightest, and her speech and demeanour had been perfectly level, controlled and every bit as eloquent as previously. Although, if she were to be fair to her suspicions, she had only heard her speak one sentence as of yet.

"Um, Taeyeon." she started, causing Taeyeon herself to twitch her head up in interest at Tiffany having used her first name. "I felt it my duty to both apologise for my behaviour this morning, and thus then, to inform you of my departure. For I feel that I have rather overstepped the boundaries of your generosity already."

Taeyeon's eyes widened at this statement, and Tiffany was genuinely surprised to see the great note of panic in her gaze.

"No- please." Taeyeon said, reaching a hand forward and taking Tiffany's wrist gently in her hand, although she quickly let go soon after. 

"Please don't go yet. At the very least, allow me to apologise in turn."

Tiffany frowned, wondering what reason Taeyeon possibly had for apologising, but nodded, allowing Taeyeon to speak.

"You inquired after asking me some questions, and I, by all volition of my own, promised I would answer. It is purely the fault of my temper out of turn, and not anything to do with your questioning, that the situation progressed to what it became. For honestly, it is quite the opposite of a burden to be able to share my problems with someone willing to listen. I have been... unable to do so, for a long time."

Taeyeon stopped rather abruptly after this, seemingly having expended all that she had to say, and she watched Tiffany carefully, her eyebrows raised in an expression of great concern for her reaction. But when she still said nothing, Taeyeon took in a steadying breath and continued on, realising it was up to her to mend the bond between them.

"Please Miss Hildebrandt, I ask of, and shall even plead if you so desire, to accept my apology. For I wish to no longer keep up this pretence of distance between us." She paused for a moment, running her tongue lightly across her teeth. "For you see... I learnt a long time ago, that a child runs away from their insecurities. A woman faces up to them."

Tiffany watched Taeyeon carefully for a second, still in two minds about whether she really was drunk or not, but decided this time, to give her the benefit of the doubt. After all, it wasn't as if she had many other options for lodging, especially as her very reason for being here would not return for several weeks more at least.

"Consider it well accepted, Miss Anniksvorten." she replied, a small smile on her face. "Although... I thought we agreed on a first-name basis?"

Taeyeon inclined her head forward slightly.

"Forgive me. I am not used to speaking so informally. And in such circumstances, it seemed inappropriate for me to use your forename in an official apology."

"Official was it?" Tiffany remarked, raising her eyebrows up slightly as she smirked. "You going to notarise it later?"

"Funnily enough, such a thing would be perfectly within my authority to undertake." Taeyeon answered, following along with the joke.

"Well, tempting as that sounds, I think a mental note will be sufficient."

Taeyeon smiled a little awkwardly, then glanced back over her shoulder for moment before gesturing her hand towards the window.

"Would you like to sit?"

Tiffany nodded.

"I think that would be appropriate."

Taeyeon led the way, taking a seat on one end of the windowsill, adapted as such to be a viewing platform of sorts for the beautiful display of nature on the other side of the glass, and Tiffany sat across from her, gently tucking the hem of her dress underneath her as she did so.

"What then, prey tell-" she asked Taeyeon first off. "- did you have planned for today, before our conversation rather derailed matters?"

Taeyeon looked surprised by this, but didn't show it all too clearly on her face, only raising her eyebrows slightly. And Tiffany felt that this was in character for her, as Taeyeon didn't seem like the sort of person who was very expressive, nor showed much emotion out of turn.

"Well, I must confess, I didn't have any considerable plans in place post-breakfast. After all, it is not very often that I even leave the confines of this house, save for occasional items of business, a lot of which I attempt to avoid whenever I can. Like I said this morning, I prefer to observe rather than involve myself unnecessarily."

"How then, pray tell, do you spend your days, if you do not travel?"

"That is a most interesting and sensible inquiry, and one I must confess, I have not such a good answer to. Most of my time is taken up with research, for there are a great many files that it is my occupation to organise, check and authenticate. I work as what you might call an archivist of sorts, as well as a go-between for the interests of many businessmen, politicians and academics, though I myself remain elusive to them. I suppose this is in part due to my heritage, but more importantly, due to my status as a woman, which I feel they would not take kindly to."

"Do you receive such documents straight to the house?" Tiffany inquired, generally interested, as she could not imagine anyone making regular journeys up here to the middle of nowhere, just to deliver post.

"There is a small civic building in the nearest town to here, of which I have an arrangement with to receive my correspondence, and no less than once monthly, or as often as I see fit, I travel down there both to send and receive any mail concerning my good self. I also request, at my expense of course, the collection of the newspapers, which I then take back with me after my visit. Reading through all of them alone after a collection period, can be quite the job in itself."

"I must confess, such a job sounds mightily tedious. Does it not bore you?"

"I should say that it doesn't rather. I enjoy the work, and I prefer such a lifestyle of solitary to the difficulties that would arise, should I try to conduct as such more openly. Sometimes as women, when we are given such bodies and minds as we have, we must make use of anonymity, in order to reach any significant expression of our potential. For I have found that even great wealth and status does not help much, when it comes to the confines of my sex."

"You speak honestly and wisely, and I cannot help but admire you." Tiffany remarked, making Taeyeon smile. "Although, I do not envy your position. For I can cope with occasional bouts of loneliness, but I seek an altogether more social and connected lifestyle."

"Ah, so be it then, that you decided upon becoming an author?"

"Well, writer perhaps, less so than an author, at the moment. And admittedly, it was mostly a career of necessity and opportunity, for as you said quite rightly, women retain very little choice in deciding the conduction of their futures. However, be it as I were fortunate enough to receive an education in my youth, writing became quite out of a lack of other positions, to become the means of my financial support. However, it has since become a way to stay involved and connected to all manner of people that would otherwise be unknown to me."

"I suppose we as... humans, take on a variety of personal forms. For no such perfect lifestyle for one, could ever be the same for every other."

"But of course, it is entirely understandable that you might prefer a life of solitude."

"Prefer perhaps not, more so make do. For I do enjoy being alone but, as I have mentioned previously, it is a great joy and comfort to have someone here with me finally, and such a person indeed, in which I can share all that I haven't done for many years previous."

"Well I must say, I am honoured to be able to be that person."

A small silence exceeded this, during which Taeyeon glanced back out of the window, a gesture that Tiffany copied. For quite honestly, the view was rather extraordinary, and for a long moment the two of them sat, a comfortable quiet between them. But then Taeyeon had looked back at her, and Tiffany caught the edge of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"What would you like to do Tiffany?" Taeyeon suddenly asked her, an almost mischievous look in her eyes. "Seeming as we do in fact, have no plans in place."

And Tiffany, who prided herself usually on her ability to hold her own against the wiles of those more charismatic than herself, found herself struggling to answer Taeyeon at first. For an odd sort of feeling had since just sprung up in her chest, caused merely by the way that Taeyeon had pronounced her name. However, with a quick glance over at the bookshelves, her earlier thoughts came back to her, a desire of wanting to look through them all to her heart's content, and she turned back to Taeyeon, her mind decided.

"I should rather like a tour of your wonderful bookshelves."

Taeyeon grinned and stood up immediately, offering her arm out to Tiffany.

"At once madam, right this way."


	3. Of Woman

Upon their reconciliation, the two of them immediately fell back into that easy rapport that they had established quite instantaneously upon their first meeting, which Taeyeon in particular was extraordinarily grateful for. Because even just the possibility that Tiffany wouldn't be staying in her house for even just a small while longer, had caused a feeling of such anguish in her, that Taeyeon could scarcely imagine where it could've come from. For emotions as strong as she was experiencing right now, were not unheard of, but far from a common occurrence.

Tiffany however, seemed not to have noticed her rather uncharacteristic desperation, or at least Taeyeon rather hoped that she hadn't. For she was finding, rising up within herself, a strangely boyish desire to please and impress, to present a show of oneself for her guest, though for exactly what purpose she was still, as of yet, unsure.

She hadn't dared to breach the topic of how long Tiffany might be staying on for, for having only just managed to convince her to stay longer for any stretch of time at all, she felt inclined to let the topic rest. For it was all too possible, as she knew from experience, to overstep a boundary through simple conversation alone, even be it a boundary that had been up till that point, quite undetectable.

Upon Tiffany's request, they had spent a good hour or so browsing the many bookshelves of the library. Most of them were academic and archival texts, which Taeyeon explained briefly as they passed by them, although Tiffany seemed anything but bored by this. On the contrary, she seemed every bit as fascinated by Taeyeon's work then she would be on the historical and fiction texts, when they got round to that section, which was more towards the back.

"Are you at all interested by history?" Taeyeon asked her offhandedly, as they approached the end of the shelves, noticing Tiffany's gaze as it tracked across a collection of historical encyclopedias.

"Of course. My book is somewhat historical in nature after-all."

The corner of Taeyeon's mouth twitched up into a considerate smile.

"I shan't pry on the details, but you must send me a copy when complete."

"I don't know how much you would enjoy it. Although it is somewhat historical based, a lot of it is merely... speculative, shall we say."

"Well, as much as it may come as no surprise to you, I have read many a speculative book in my time. For in this age of great discovery and advancement, I find books which explore possibilities still yet out of the reach of explanation by science and politics to be most fascinating."

"Would you so, to the extent of the fantastical?"

Taeyeon was quiet for a moment, considering this, before she spoke again in a low tone, the same one she used whenever she was perhaps trying to speak more carefully.

"Tell me, are you familiar with Keats at all?"

Tiffany shook her head slightly.

"I must profess, the name sounds somewhat familiar, but I could not place it if asked."

Taeyeon nodded, although didn't say anything for a while, instead setting a steady, stepping pace up and down the shelf they were currently stopped at. Tiffany watched her curiously, examining Taeyeon's face with interest, as she had such an expression which made one believe that she was always thinking, always wondering, an intellectual constantly at work.

"Do not all charms fly, at the mere touch of cold philosophy?" Taeyeon eventually started, her voice taking on a tone with which to suggest that she was quoting something. "Philosophy will clip an Angel's wings, conquer all mysteries by rule and line, empty the haunted air and the gnomed mine. Unweave a rainbow, as it erewhile made, the tender-person'd Lamia melt into a shade."

Tiffany raised an eyebrow, marginally impressed, which had most likely been Taeyeon's intention.

"Keats I presume?"

"A section of one of his poems." Taeyeon confirmed. "The narrative poem Lamia, to be precise. It's always stayed pertinent in my mind, I've found. Perhaps it is it's embracing of the very fantastical that we both seek in our books."

"Does it end well? The poem?" Tiffany asked, sounding genuinely intrigued. 

Taeyeon smiled, somewhat knowingly, as if reliving a private joke.

"Alas not. Poor Lamia as it were, is indeed undone by cold philosophy."

"You shall have to lend me such a collection, if indeed you have it in your possession."

"It is somewhere here, though I confess, I know not exactly." Taeyeon replied, a pondering expression on her face. "Though here's an idea. I do still have some work to do, that is best done by midday, though I was indeed, off-putting it. So won't you browse a while and choose a book for now, and I shall try my best to locate his poems when I have a moment?"

Tiffany nodded.

"That is most generous of you."

Taeyeon gestured towards the nearest bookshelf as she took a step back.

"And please, take your time. You shan't disturb me."

Tiffany smiled at Taeyeon as she bowed her head and disappeared round the end of the bookshelves, leaving her alone amongst the various texts. Such choice itself at her disposal was at first, so daunting, that she found herself gravitating instinctively to the fiction section, which was at least somewhat more familiar to her.

It was interesting, and somewhat amusing also, to see the rather varied assortment of fiction books that Taeyeon had on her shelves, for there were all manner of different genres, from stories for children right up to romantic novellas and even gothic horror. Smiling to herself, she found that had her hand, as she ran it across the various book spines, came to rest on one in particular, who's bold font and size had caught her attention. Pulling it from the shelf, she ran her hand over the cover, disturbing the fine layer of dust that had settled over it.

It was a book she was very familiar with, as was almost every child in central Europe. 'Children's and Household Tales' was the official title, although it was more popularly known by it's informal name of 'Grimms' Fairy Tales', though she had in fact, like many, never actually read the stories in their physical form. For fairy tales were the preserve of the stormy nights, huddled round the fire, of bedtimes by parents and marketplace festivals by storytellers, each one a captivating narrative for it's audience, both intended and often, unintended also.

Stepping back out into the main part of the room, book in hand, she noticed Taeyeon hunched over at her desk, already pouring over a large piece of paper, which covered almost the whole desktop. Deciding it was less than sensible to interrupt her for any reason, she left the room as quietly as she could manage, and began looking for a place to sit and read.

Having resigned the bedroom to be a rather improper place to conduct any sort of activity besides sleep, especially if Taeyeon were to seek her out once done with her work, she descended the stairs to look for a more appropriate room. The living room seemed to be the obvious choice, however, she couldn't quite resist the opportunity to explore more of the manor house, even if she did feel a little out of turn doing so without Taeyeon.

The rooms downstairs were what you'd expect. She had of course, already seen the entrance hall, living room and dining hall. But that was all to the left of the entrance hall, the right still yet unexplored. Clutching the book close to her chest with one hand, she used the other to push open one of the doors on the right, the one closest to the main entrance to be exact, to see what was behind it.

The first room was similar to the living room opposite the hallway to it in some ways, although differed from it also in a number of other ways. For one, it was quite a lot smaller, and much more softly decorated, with lighter colours and more floral motifs. If she had to guess, she would say that it was probably a drawing room of some sort, most likely previously used by the women of the house, in order to talk and engage in various womanly activities. 

Deciding such a room to not be to her liking, she closed the door and moved to the next one along. This one again, was another smaller room, although was most certainly tailored more to the men of the household, by any traditionalist standard at least. In the centre of one wall was a fireplace, with two armchairs on either side of it, and hanging above it, a rather imposing painting of several demon-like men on horses, which Tiffany guessed to be Biblical, although she couldn't really be sure. 

In the centre of the room, although slightly off to the left to give it enough distance from the fireplace, was a billiard table, empty of any of it's playable components and the top of which was now a considerably faded green. But what gave her the staunchest impression that this was a room intended for men, was two things really. One being the dark oak drinks cabinet situated just to the left of the fireplace, and the other being the many examples of taxidermy hunting trophies hung all over the walls, which Tiffany could even force herself to imagine Taeyeon being responsible for.

But it was the final door on the right hand side of the entrance hall, that brought the most pleasant surprise to Tiffany when she opened it to peer inside.

It appeared to be, from first glance, a ballroom of sorts, not a grand affair as such, but most certainly one all the same. The room itself was a lot bigger than the other two consecutive to it, and perhaps even more so than the dining hall, the biggest room Tiffany had been in so far, or at the very least, a similar size. And in actual fact, from her position by the door, she couldn't quite see all of the room, as it curved round the corner and to the left, out of sight.

Closing the door gently behind her, she walked out onto the ballroom floor, which she supposed would usually have a sheen and lustre to it, but from lack of use, appeared dull and dusty. Several stacks of red upholstered chairs lined the white and gold guided walls at randomly intermittent sections, each one looking equally neglected and out of use as the rest of the room. But what caught her interest the most out of anything, was the sight of an old piano, set up in one corner of the ballroom, on the left side of the room that had at first, been out of her sight.

Walking slowly over to it, her fingers still clutched around the spine of the book she had brought with her, she couldn't help but find her gaze being drawn upwards, as above the section of the ballroom surrounding the piano, the ceiling stretched up to reveal a space that extended all the way up to the second floor, of which a balcony fence bordered it on three sides. It was a rather stunning architectural choice for the inside of a mansion, and Tiffany was reminded of Taeyeon's statement that the manor had once been a religious building of some sort. And looking at the design of this room in particular, she could well further believe this claim.

The piano itself, in intriguing contrast to it's surroundings, was in relatively immaculate condition, almost, Tiffany thought, as if someone still cared for it. And as such, an overwhelming feeling of hesitance overcame her. For if this piano turned out to be somehow greatly meaningful to Taeyeon, in whatever way that might be, then she didn't much want to find herself in a position of pushing such boundaries unnecessarily.

So instead of playing the piano, she sat down on the stool and rested the book across the lid covering the keys, deciding to read in here, as something about the ballroom was just strangely more comforting than any of the other rooms she had been into as of yet. Flicking over to the first story, she finally began to read, shaking off her unease as she lost herself in the familiarity of childhood tales. For she had always found that children's literature, more than any other she had yet to find, was always written in such a way of freedom, taking liberties wherever possible with the standards most writers were so stringently held to, and exploring concepts quiet unthinkable elsewhere.

Her favourites as a child had always been those stories about mysterious creatures, and the adventures human beings had coming across them. More often than not, they took malevolent forms, perhaps as hidden messages for children about the dangers in the world. But it did not always do to look too metaphorically into such things. For sometimes, stories were just stories, there to be enjoyed, and imagined, and expanded upon in the ever creating mind of the listening child. And nothing more so was better at this than the stories of creatures, beast or humanoid alike. For to think of such things with the possibility in mind that they were real, was just part of the fun and beauty of it all.

It had been several months since Tiffany had had the opportunity to enjoy herself in such a frivolous capacity, as she had found herself with the increasing stress of being a young woman with no family to speak of, stuck with trying to find means to support herself, without the option of finding herself a husband as a last resort. For even if such a life was ever to be to her taste, she was not at all sure that she could bare the strain of higher class courting, that was required for someone of her moderate standing to then become wed.

But being here in Taeyeon's house... it was strange, for it felt like she had been taken away from the world for a moment, quite suddenly unaccountable for anything. And it was an odd moment of peace in the struggle that her life had increasing been becoming accustomed to, reducing her perhaps almost to the role of childhood once more, or at least to someone living under the authority of another. And then reaching for this book, out of the hundreds of others available to her? A coincidence yes, but it was intriguing to think about, and exciting to experience her first release of responsibility in years.

And in fact, she was so enraptured in the world which the childish tales brought her into, a metaphorical escape of course, but an escape nonetheless, that she hardly noticed how much time had passed, nor how far through the book she had made it, until Taeyeon's voice finally disturbed her gaze from the page.

"I take it you chose well?"

Taeyeon's voice, although soft, was still rather commanding, as just was the nature of it. So Tiffany was undoubtedly startled, looking up sharply at the sound of it. Taeyeon was standing by the corner, leaning against the wall and watching her. She didn't smile as such when Tiffany looked up, but there was a hint of slight amusement on her face, even if it was only barely detectable.

"Indeed." Tiffany answered, although she closed the book rather hastily, taking it down from the piano as if it were out of place for it to have been resting there.

Taeyeon considered her silently for a moment, before she walked over to the piano and, with only a slight hesitation, raised the lid. Tiffany watched her as she ran her fingers lightly over the ivory keys, not pressing down hard enough to make a sound, before she looked up at her once more.

"Do you play?"

Tiffany, caught slightly off-guard by the question, replied with a sort of non-committal shrug.

"Not professionally. But my father used to teach me when he could. He was a merchant you see, so he was not home often during the day. But once proficient enough, I found it perfectly suitable to practice by myself."

"I am sure you are quite able." Taeyeon commented. 

"I'd suggest it would be rather hard to judge, absent of comparison."

The corner of Taeyeon's mouth twitched, although frustratingly once again, didn't quite make it's way to become a smile.

"Well then... suppose I'd like you to think of me as an accurate judge of musical proficiency?"

Tiffany, cautious of Taeyeon's wordplay, decided to test her with a question of her own.

"What of yourself? Do you play?"

"Certainly. It is a skill one of high society can hardly do without." Taeyeon paused for a moment, then pressed her index finger down, drawing out a long note from the piano. "Tell me, what do you know of Bach, if at all?"

Tiffany hardly hesitated in her reply.

"Why all his notable works, of course. I should've thought that you would know, despite your inquiry, that one simply cannot learn the piano in today's Austria, without strict guidance from the German greats. Though if I am to be entirely truthful, I could never quite grasp many of his pieces. Too complicated perhaps, or so I hesitate to accredit it to."

And at last, a smile from Taeyeon, small as it was, graced her face, the face that was always so evasively apathetic, so devoid of any indication as to her thoughts and feelings and yet, still so enticingly intriguing. 

"Well then, please." she replied, gesturing for Tiffany to make room for her to sit, which she did so obligingly. "Allow me."

As Tiffany stood, she shifted round to lean on the main body of the piano, in order to listen to Taeyeon play, and Taeyeon sat where she had been seconds previously. She had yet to put her jacket back on, so was dressed still in only her loose white shirt and dark trousers, which gave a strange sort of appearance to the whole scene. For it wasn't often that music was ever played, at least not to Tiffany's understanding of it, in such a relaxed and un-monitored setting. And in fact, the whole thing felt rather unnervingly intimate.

For a few seconds, a small stretch of quiet hung over them, with Taeyeon testing out the position of her hands on the keys, and mumbling something unintelligible to herself as she did so, which only made Tiffany wonder all the more, how often, if at all, Taeyeon actually took the time to sit and play by herself. Although, she couldn't help but wonder, what would be the point in playing music, if there was no-one else there to listen? 

The piece Taeyeon then began playing was somewhat familiar to her, a commonly chosen work of Bach's she could only presume, although it had been a considerable amount of time since she had last had the opportunity to play anything at all. The melody started rather joyfully, a bouncy tune with rather a message of hope within it. But as the piece continued, a distinct underlying sense of melancholy began to show through, the notes flowing over each other seamlessly. And an image of river water, tumbling down a serene mountainside, entered Tiffany's mind, a scene both of great hope and beauty, and yet also one of constant potential danger.

She watched Taeyeon carefully as she played, her eyes set dead with concentration, and each placement of her hand deadly accurate and synchronised, moving in tempo with the music as the notes picked up into a slightly more jarring pace, only pressing on the keys for mere moments before moving on, rather than holding them down and extending the note. It was not a particularly difficult piece, though she would most likely have struggled greatly with it herself had she attempted it, and yet the way Taeyeon played it was nothing short of entrancing, all of it plucked perfectly from memory, without the need for a single sheet of music in front of her. And Tiffany could only imagine how many times she must've played this piece previously, in order to know it so well.

But such was the extent that the music drew her away from concentration, that she hardly noticed when it finally stopped, and it took her more than a few seconds to realise that Taeyeon was staring at her, with a gaze as hard and steely as if she were staring at her worse enemy. But with nothing short of a single, startled blink from Tiffany, such a look in her eyes had disappeared, to be replaced by her normal expression of indifference.

"Your verdict?" Taeyeon proffered, her eyes glinting slightly with curiosity.

"Your knowledge and execution of the piece are both quite infallible."

"A most gracious conclusion, that I thank you for. Though I must admit, such pieces are not usually to my liking. I prefer ones with further accompaniment. For an orchestra is of course, always preferable to a singular recital."

"I confess, I wouldn't know." 

"You've never heard an orchestra?" Taeyeon asked, an uncommon hint of surprise in her voice.

Tiffany shook her head.

"I should say not. We never had significant money for such extravagances."

Taeyeon inclined her head forward slightly, something Tiffany had now noticed, she did whenever she had said something that was perhaps a little out of turn.

"Of course, forgive me."

Tiffany smiled.

"Think nothing of it."

Taeyeon nodded graciously.

"I must admit, I myself have yet to attend such an event for many years. I haven't had the time nor the cause, and it is not often that concerts are held nearby regardless."

Tiffany nodded, to show that she was listening, but she still appeared somewhat absent, lost deep in some inconsequential thought.

"I remember though, my mother..." she started, as if recalling a memory. "She attended such an event once, as the invited guest of a young man she courted briefly before my father. And in fact, on the merit of her description, it has always been one of the greatest ambitions of mine to be able to behold such a performance."

Taeyeon cocked her head to the side just ever so slightly, a look of intrigue on her face.

"Forgive me if this is an overstep, but you have mentioned little about your parents. May I inquire some more after them?"

"Indeed you may, after you so dutifully informed me of the history of your own."

Tiffany paused for a moment, as if thinking, and Taeyeon watched her with the careful eyes of someone who, it could be inferred, was really rather good at examining people from nothing more than a silent glance their way.

"As I said, my father was a merchant, in general goods." Tiffany eventually began. "So he wasn't home often, and I was raised almost entirely by my mother. She almost died giving birth to me, so I was their only child, which would have suited just fine had she survived. Unfortunately however, the birth made her consistently weak and susceptible to illness, and she went on to die of pneumonia when I was twelve."

A slightly guilty look entered Taeyeon's eyes, and she visibly turned her face downwards, breaking her gaze from Tiffany's face.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Tiffany gave a conceding sort of nod.

"No more so than yours."

Taeyeon's gaze flicked back upwards, satisfied that she had not made the conversation awkward with her insistence on hearing more about Tiffany's parents.

"Please, do continue."

Tiffany nodded, taking a second before carrying on.

"Well, without my mother at home, my father saw fit to employ a governess to continue my home-schooling. And although we did become somewhat closer, his work still kept him away more often than I would've liked."

"How is your relationship now?"

Tiffany paused only for a moment, although a moment was all it took for Taeyeon to realise that she would not like what she had to say next.

"I must sadly confess, I am unable to tell you as such. For not a few days after I turned twenty, he had to travel to Hamburg for an overseas delivery. And most unfortunately, he ended up dead from injuries sustained by a fall at the docks. And without him of course, I was suddenly bereft of income, though his inheritance has kept me sustained while I try and find work for myself."

Taeyeon once again averted her gaze for just a moment, although remained professional, not letting this moment of venerability on Tiffany's part overwhelm the nature of their interactions, as it had done that morning. 

"My greatest condolences."

Tiffany however, quite unlike how Taeyeon had handled it during their earlier conversation, shrugged off Taeyeon's apologies good-naturedly.

"It is a hardship that is not so difficult to bear. After all, there are many in this world, and this country of no exception, that live on without their parents, at ages much younger than myself. And indeed, even your own ordeal vastly outpaces my own. For you had family far extended."

Taeyeon gave a conceding nod.

"Maybe so, but I have had longer to deal with the pain."

Tiffany smiled slightly.

"Indeed? Why, I can then only guess at your age."

The corner of Taeyeon's mouth curled up into a slight smirk.

"I'd be careful if I were you. You should never ask a lady her age."

Tiffany smiled back, enjoying this slight back and forth that they had struck up.

"Why, you need not tell me of course. For I am sure it is reasonable."

"Reasonable you say? That is an intriguing choice of words."

"Well, as you said, it does not do to ask a lady her age. But I believe, from my observation of your good-self so far, that age should not factor in so much as it may with those of a lesser presence, and without such possession of wit and good-nature."

"You speak in such kind and careful terms. I could imagine you a poet, much like good-Sir Keats. For he too was very careful with his words, and yet was never stunted as a result, for his yarns as I recall, often extended to that which the realms of memory alone would struggle to recall."

"Speaking of such, did you manage to acquire as to the location of his poetry amongst your shelves?"

"Ah yes, of course."

Tiffany watched, amused, as Taeyeon reached behind her and produced a small, leather bound book from where she had tucked it into the back of her trousers, something Tiffany hadn't ever quite been in the right position facing Taeyeon to notice.

"It's a rather old copy, but I am sure it will suffice." Taeyeon expanded, handing it over to her.

"I thank you for taking the time to look for it. I trust you still had ample time to complete your work?"

"More than enough, although I confess, my mind was wandering such that I still have yet to finish. Your talk of speculation brought me a welcome change of thought from that of work, to which I thank you for. However, it does mean that after we eat, I shall unfortunately have to return to my documents for a time."

Tiffany smiled.

"Well seeming as you have so kindly acquired Keats' works for me, I hardly see that as any sort of inconvenience."

Taeyeon bowed her head slightly in answer.

"Shall we eat now? Or perhaps you'd like a turn?" she said, gesturing to the piano.

"I rather think that any attempt I might make of it would pale quite incongruously in comparison to your own. Lunch however, would be much more agreeable."

"I shall take your word on it." Taeyeon answered, standing up from the piano. "Though please don't take this as an indication that I would not like to hear you play. For I am sure you are just as able as the next man, or indeed, woman, when provided with music to read from."

"That is an assertion best made post-observation I should suggest." Tiffany replied, following alongside Taeyeon as they crossed the ballroom and moved back into the entrance hall.

Lunch turned out to be as modest an affair as breakfast had been, Taeyeon seeming not to be one for large and lavish dining. And Tiffany noticed that, as with that morning, Taeyeon ate little, preferring instead to spend most of the meal sipping from her glass. However, she thought it best not to comment on this, feeling that it perhaps wouldn't be something that Taeyeon would be comfortable elaborating upon.

"I must confess, despite my hesitance, I am eager to learn more about your life in Styria." Taeyeon started, clearly angling for a more detailed inquiry. "For despite it's close relation to Carinthia, it is not a state I have visited often."

"That is a sensible point of inquisition, judging by your affirmation that you do not often travel far from home. Though I must admit, Styria, although not without it's charms, is nowhere near as beautiful as it's neighbouring state, as I'm sure you're aware. That was partly what drew me here, save for my own curious intentions concerning the Countess von Khevenhüller." 

"That too interested me. For I am not without knowledge of the Countess myself. What, if I may ask, were you hoping she may be able to inform you of?"

"It is somewhat unknown even to me, but I had it on good faith that the Countess had experienced something not unrelated to the topic that I am employed to study. It was my hope that she would give me more insight into where to direct my attentions."

"And what of your employer then, if I may ask?"

"Oh, it's just a small newspaper and research office. We deal mainly in public curiosities, certain things that perhaps the major news would tend to neglect. Our research projects are funded by whoever inquires and wants a certain thing investigated, which isn't too often."

"How intriguing." Taeyeon said, her eyes seeming almost to glitter slightly as she held Tiffany's gaze. "I am sure that a level of discretion must be upheld between you and your clients, but I would be most interested to know if your current investigation is one of any degree of high status, as one can only assume from it's involvement with the Countess."

Tiffany considered this for a moment, before deciding on a somewhat measured reply.

"The topic of concern is not of particularly high importance, but the inquirer is somewhat... more important. The payout should be significant if my work shows enough of a degree of effective research and findings."

Taeyeon nodded, seemingly satisfied by this answer.

"Well I am certain you are more than capable of providing such things."

Tiffany shook her head slightly, looking away from Taeyeon for a moment.

"I wish I had such confidence. For the subject in question is perhaps what some might describe as... outlandish. And even merely foolish wonderments, to those most critical and doubtful."

"Well... I would say, if given free reign of my opinion, that such people are quite foolish themselves. After all, keeping your mind closed to objects and concepts of wonder alike, is hardly a worthwhile way to go about ones life."

Tiffany tipped her head slightly to the side, smiling curiously at Taeyeon.

"You speak as if you know of that I do not."

Taeyeon didn't smile back, but Tiffany saw a hint of amusement in her eyes, as she lent back in her seat and rested her right foot across her knee.

"A lady never tells."

"Well, if I may speak plainly. You don't give me the impression of someone who cares much about presenting oneself as a lady."

Taeyeon's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly, as if she had just restrained from raising it.

"I suppose not. Though I confess, I've never really considered it."

"I'd say 'tis likely well of you to do so. For perhaps it is the more sensible route not to dwell too long on one's femininity."

Taeyeon was quiet for a moment, considering this with an amused look that Tiffany herself found hard to keep locked onto, before she eventually proffered her reply. 

"Forgive me if I sound antagonistic, but I would lean to disagree. For one's femininity is not alone decided by the presentation of one's self. Identity is self-contained, built of knowledge intimate only to the one with which it concerns. And femininity I would suggest, is not necessarily a pre-described appearance. For after all, femininity itself merely means 'of woman'. And as I hope you would agree, there is far from only one way to be a woman, and thus leaves you every adequate reason to dwell upon it."

Quite taken by the sheer eloquence of Taeyeon's reply, Tiffany could only find a rebuttal then, in giving voice to her impressions. 

"You lead me to wonder as to how often you've had to defend the expression of your femininity. You appear well-practised." 

Taeyeon gave an offhand sort of shrug.

"Let us just say that I have spent extensive amounts of time considering such things."

From this, idle chat succeeded, filling the gap between the time where there would be nothing left to say, and no food or wine left to occupy them. And it was at this point that Tiffany saw Taeyeon glance to the side, and over to the window, watching the sun as it began it's first steps of descent in the sky, still bright and harsh, but also at the beginnings of what would later become the sunset.

She watched carefully then, as Taeyeon turned back towards her and raised her hand to the back of her neck, rubbing it a little, as if trying to distract from having to say her next words.

"I regret to have to mention that after my work is complete, I must then pay a visit to the town this same night, in order to post the papers I was working on to their intended recipient in ample time. I hope you shall be sufficiently entertained in my absence? I shall only be gone a few hours at the most."

"Please, by all means. I do not ever want to be a hindrance to your work."

Taeyeon nodded, her thumb rubbing disjointed circles back and forth across her wine glass. 

"Well aside from your study of Keats, please feel free to look around the rest of the manor, if indeed, such an activity would be to your liking. I know such a thing can be entertaining to many, and I wish not to make you feel as if anything is off-limits for you to peruse." 

Tiffany gave her a curious grin.

"No skeletons in your closet, hmm?"

Taeyeon gave her a strange sort of look, her eyebrow arching up ever so slightly, before a rare smile worked it's way onto her face.

"You could say that."

Taeyeon paused for another long moment, letting an amicable silence settle over them as she stood up and bowed her head forwards slightly, before disappearing up the stairs back towards the library to continue her work.


End file.
